Saturday Brunch

I heart breakfast. If I were a poet, I would write a sonnet to my favorite meal of the day.

Two of my preferred Saturday feasts:
Butterscotch Monkey Bread

Also, an eggy BLT is always tasty:
-two pieces of wheat bread, toasted, one coated with ketchup and one coated with mayo (sounds a bit strange, but trust me on this)
-1 or 2 fried egg(s) to your liking, I prefer them a bit runny
-1 slice of cheese (colby jack is great here)
-1 piece of crisp butter lettuce
-2 pieces of bacon
-1 slice of tomato
-a couple of slices of avocado
My maple bacon:

Preheat your oven to 425 degrees. Line a rimmed baking sheet with foil. Then place a cookie cooling rack on top of the sheet. Lay the bacon out flat on the cooling rack (over the baking pan). This allows the bacon to get really crispy and for the fat to drip off into the baking pan. Brush each slice with a little maple syrup. Bake for 20-30 minutes, depending on your desired crispiness.

food and photos by moi

Flowers for Friday

"The earth laughs in flowers."
Ralph Waldo Emerson

Almost every Friday, I treat myself to a fresh bunch of flowers. Some people indulge in good wine or dark chocolate or manicures, I prefer posies. Tulips, dahlias, roses, lilies, or rannuculus, I simply choose whatever looks fresh and vibrant (and generally pink).

Throughout the week, those blooms unfailingly bring me immense happiness. I've sometimes heard people remark that they don't buy flowers, because they'll just wilt. For me, that evanescence, that fleeting aspect of natural beauty makes the fresh cut flowers that much more of a joy. Why deny yourself a great pleasure merely because it's ephemeral?

photos and flowers by moi

Happy Hour

Miranda: "Why did we stop drinking these?"

Carrie: "Because everyone else started."

Even though they were the ubiquitous girly cocktail of the early 2000s (thanks to SATC), it tough to deny the scrumptiousness of a classic Cosmopolitan.
My version:
2 parts of vodka(Svedka or Ketel One)
1/2-1 part of Triple Sec or Cointreau
2-3 parts of cran-raspberry juice
squeeze a wedge of lime

shake with lots of ice and serve in a chilled glass with a floating slice of lime

Something Beautiful

In the midst of her literal and metaphorical voyage of self-discovery, Elizabeth Gilbert in her memoir Eat, Pray, Love, proclaims:

"I think I deserve something beautiful."

It is such a simple statement that encapsulates vastly universal human longings: for love, for excitement, for pleasure, for material things, for immaterial things. Though I wouldn't go so far as to argue that Gilbert has become a modern day prophet, I certain can identify with her pursuit of pleasure (which she discovers in Italy), devotion (India), and balance (Indonesia).

In the book, her narration about India particularly seized my imagination. Her illustrative descriptions instilled in me a very strong desire to explore this faraway land.

Most of what I know about India comes from film. While I'm guessing that "real" India may be closer to what I saw in Slumdog Millionaire than Monsoon Wedding or The Namesake, there is still something so alluring, so otherworldly about Indian culture. Perhaps because I know so little, I want to travel this place so much more.

So, alas, a few beautiful things from India to hold me over until I get to discover this gigantic, diverse and distant country for myself one day:
PS. Julia Roberts is bringing Eat, Pray, Love to the big screen in August, along with James Franco, Billy Crudup, and Javier Bardem.

Celadon, Chartreuse, Olive, Lime & Kelly

No, these are not the latest celebrity baby names, but rather shades of green. St. Patty's Day is not my thing. But, I can definitely endorse the color green:

Carrie the Wise

SSB: Secret Single Behavior. Sex and the City's Carrie Bradshaw coined this fitting term for all those things we do that we do not want our hubby/partner/bf/gf/flame to see. Carrie's SSB involved eating a stack of saltine and grape jelly sandwiches, while standing up in the kitchen and reading Vogue--she couldn't explain why she did this, just that it felt so good.

What are your SSBs? What are the little innocent and unexplained rituals that you enjoy only by yourself? What do you do for no rhyme or reason when you have a moment of solitude?

I light all of my yummy smelling candles and watch the Real Housewives while painting my nails (and hope that I don't ignite from all of the nail polish fumes and candles). Sometimes, I put on my stretchy pants and eat waffles for dinner, while watching Jeopardy and saying the answers aloud.

Why? Who knows? Because it feels good. Because bringing someone else into these rituals would change them. Because another person would take away from the inherent innocuous pleasure of doing precisely what I want. Because some idiosyncrasies are best enjoyed alone.

Take a little "you time." Relish your SSBs.

Dinner Time

Last night for dinner, I pulled together (with the help of recipezaar) an updated version of fish and chips: panko-crusted tilapia, oven-roasted potatoes, and asparagus with Parmesan. Serve with a dollop of Trader Joe's jalapeno tartar sauce, some fresh lemon and a cold Stella, and voila, dinner is served!

Weirdly Wonderful

I would be lying if I said I didn't want a Mad Men Barbie. Sorry kiddies, mini-Don and mini-Betty do not come with mini-martinis or cigarettes or emotional baggage. And, no, in case you're silently judging me, I am not one of those weirdo e-bay freaks who collects this crap. I just really like this one singular bit of pop culture memorabilia...okay, and maybe I have a stray beanie baby from 1995.

Image from New York Times

Puppy Love

I certainly would be a happy gal if this little gremlin showed up at my doorstep. I think I would name him Pablo:

photo from: http://www.marthastewart.com/photogallery/brooklyn-puppies#slide_2

Happy Spring

photos borrowed from: http://www.flickr.com/photos/liquidskyarts/sets/72157602258118113/

Taste Treats, Butter Edition

This morning I decided to surprise my hardworking hubby by making something extra delish for breakfast. Trader Joe's frozen chocolate croissants make the kitchen smell divine--butter and sugar and chocolate, oh my! These chocolate goodies are a perfect wow factor at breakfast or brunch. All they require is proofing at room temperature over night and a quick egg wash over top before baking (to make them shiny and flaky!).

Ode to Ina

Oh Ina, the things you've taught me:

• orange tulips always perk up a bland table
• just because the food is homemade doesn't mean your friends have more fun at your party
• make something, fake something, assemble something
• when in doubt, add more butter
• a roasted chicken every Friday night can help your marriage last for 40 years
• no one ever drinks only one cocktail
• surround yourself with creative people
• food looks best on white plates
• learn a handful of classic recipes and then vary the ingredients to expand your culinary repertoire
  
• yes, more butter

Prêt-à-porter?

So, I doubt I can head into Ralphs to pick up some produce wearing one of these giant pom-poms on my head, but I love it nonetheless. From Sonia Rykiel's Paris show:

Little Miss Muffet

J'adore! For now, I will only dream of a yummy pale pink couch. While hubby dearest can handle pops of pink throughout the apartment, I will not be subjecting him to playing his zombie-killing video games on this dainty sofa for fear of irreversible emasculation disorder.

photo borrowed from: http://citified.blogspot.com/

Day at the Beach

We spent an afternoon at the beach (complete with umbrella drinks!):

Paris on my mind

Books that can transport me to Paris in a metro minute:These are all "sit in a comfy chair and flip through the pages in any order" kind of books--with lots of glossy photos and whimsical illustrations. Enjoy perhaps with a warm croissant and a café au lait on a rainy morning.











Also, loving these soft, diffused photographs by Yvette Inufio:
Visit her etsy page:http://www.etsy.com/shop/yvetteinufio

Blush and bashful

Every few weeks, I treasure the moment when my favorite design magazines plunk down in my mailbox. Conveniently, my thoughtful mail carrier always seem to deliver them on Friday afternoons so that I can languorously flip through each page while enjoying a cup of tea or more likely, an apéritif. My April issue of InStyle arrived yesterday and revealed some very chi-chi-fu-fu (that's me talk for uber-feminine) fashion trends for spring.

I am loving this pale blush color:
Oooohhh and good news for us Southern gals, polka dots are back (though they never went out in my opinion)!

images: http://fashiondesigners.instyle.com/collections/photos/runway/jason-wu/fall-2010-runway/results.html?No=6

La vie en rose

Well, my dears, my spring break fantasy of jetting away to Paris never materialized. So, I suppose I will have to put some Piaf on the pod and twirl around my kitchen in some black and white Chanelesque ensemble. Zuts alors!

Feast for the eyes

Wayne Thiebaud, a California artist who initially trained with Disney, is often perceived as a stepchild to the Pop art movement in America. While his art lacks the consumerist statements that Warhol and Oldenburg infused in their imagery, he focuses instead on food, glorious food laid out again a barren and creamy background. Perhaps because his palette veers towards sorbet-shades and cotton-candy colors, I am inherently delighted by his diner windows, bakery displays, and trays of pâtisseries. His refined and elegant treatment of a Pop subjects offers the viewer all of the fun of Warhol with none of the guilt.

Let them eat cake

Confession: I have a bit of an addiction. Cake stands. Yes, I should probably cut back, but cake-stands are oh so useful for making my chaotic collections of this-es and thats look purposeful and organized. While I've always admired those few funky folks who can pull off a minimalist aesthetic in their homes, I am a "more is more" kind of gal. So, cake-stands and trays and platters are my go-to trick for making order out of miscellany.


collage image borrowed from: http://abbyjean.typepad.com/style_me_pretty/images/2008/06/03/cake_stands.jpg

When in Rome

Today, joy of joys, I am teaching my students about Roman wall paintings, particularly those discovered at Pompeii, Herculaneum, and Boscoreale. I am obsessed with this one:
I love love love the color palette, the trompe l'oeil architectural details, and the illusionism of the outdoor world. Someday, when I have my villa (a girl can dream), it will surely have walls that look oh so close to this.

Au bord de la mer

Each month, when I receive my new issue of Coastal Living magazine (courtesy of my design-savvy momma), I want to live INSIDE the magazine. The homes featured are so me. A touch of beachy-chic with a mix of traditional elements and a dash of vintage, oh pretty please, let me live here:





Or even here?

















Or this would work too:

images borrowed from: http://www.coastalliving.com/homes/decorating/our-favorite-modern-interiors-00400000034041/page5.html

Good morning, sunshine!

Well, it's another gloriously-sunny day here in So-Cal. While I always thought of myself as more of a blistery-weather-loving Midwesterner, I am getting used to unending expanses of blue sky and bright sunshine. This weekend will surely include a beach picnic!

photo by moi